The Never Ending Fairy Tale
by Clargirl5
Summary: I started to regain consciousness after my trip through what could only be described as an inter-dimensional wormhole... “What the?” I began, only to notice a long braid of golden hair trailing from my head onto the floor, “Not again!”
1. The Strange Bed

_I tried to edit the entire story so far. I fixed a lot of typos and weird sentences. But there's still a lot to fix. If you could point out any errors in reviews that would be great! Keep reading, there's much more to come! ~Clargirl5~_

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The Strange Bed

I rolled over in my sleep. Really I was only half asleep; I was awake but I wasn't ready to open my eyes. The bed didn't groan on its normal iron springs. Instead in crackled a little, but it was extremely soft. My pillow was so thick and spongy I sank into it. I normally had a firm mattress with thin piece of cloth my parents called a pillow. This didn't seem to be my normal bed. But I didn't care, it was more comfortable then anything I had ever slept on. I just lay there and waited for my alarm to sound; it never did come.

Out of nowhere I herd a shrill feminine voice that didn't belong to any member of my family. It shrieked, "CINDERELLAAAA!"

I rolled over again, thinking I was dreaming, but the voice got steadily louder. It kept repeating the same name, Cinderella. Now, I knew that name. It was the name from the storybook, the girl with the glass slipper; that's why I thought I was dreaming.

The door to what I thought was my room burst open and in pounded several pairs of stomping feet. "CINDERELLA! How dare you sleep in the guest bedroom? How many times must I PUNISH you," The shrill voice came closer and closer. I opened my eyes only to see the twisted face of what could only be the wicked stepmother. She had long gray hair topped on her head so that it made her look at least a foot taller. She had beady black eyes and a tremendously long nose, which she looked down in order to see me. Her lips had long lost all color and she was impossibly skinny but had muscles that showed of hard work, from labor or maybe from dealing out punishments.

"I'm not Cinderella," I replied, "and why are you in my room?" I looked around; this wasn't my room. It was lavishly furnished with a Persian rug and many porcelain ceramics. Its walls were covered with pictures of important nobles. The bed I was laying in was covered in deep red satin and was so soft looking it seemed to be made of one large feather. "This isn't my room… where am I?" I asked.

"You bet this isn't your room! Your room is the cupboard in the kitchen. How dare you sneak into the guest bedroom," said a girl who could only be an ugly stepsister. She had stiff, frizzy dirty blond hair that fell to her waist in tangles. Her eyes were just as beady as her mothers but her nose was plump and rounded. Her face and body were elongated and skinny. It seemed that she had been stretched out. She stood just behind her mother looking fiercely irritated.

"Get up you lazy girl! You're needed in the kitchens to cook our breakfast. If you hurry and have breakfast ready in the next ten minuets I will spare you your punishment," said the evil stepmother. She knew this was impossible and looked forward to seeing me hurry around the house trying to complete the task.

"No! If I'm so lazy then why am I being forced to cook YOUR breakfast? Why don't you go down to the kitchens and cook ME breakfast you lazy hag?" I replied. But, as soon as I was done saying it I knew I shouldn't have.

Her face turned red then purple, the color of the Persian rug. From her belt she pulled a short black wipe. It was made of leather and had a small piece of wood attached to the whipping end. She grabbed me by the shoulders and flipped me around. She instructed her daughter to hold me down so I couldn't get away. I thrashed wildly but I just couldn't get up.

"Lets see how you like a good long whipping, how about 30 lashes then? You took 20 last time," She screeched She raised the whip high above her head a struck me square across the back ripping my bed shirt.

I screamed in pain. White-hot fire flooding over my back and through my entire body I could feel every muscle in my back screaming in pain. I couldn't handle it. I had never experienced so much pain. I passed out as a cloud of black covered my eyes. I was asleep once more on the most comfortable, yet the strangest bed I had ever slept on.

* * *

"Get up you ninny!" Cried a voice in my ear. I rolled over.

"Five more minutes mom," I moaned. The voice laughed, it was a big booming laugh that echoed around the room. I sat up straight; was I still stuck in the strange place where they thought I was Cinderella? I looked around; I was in a dirty little room on a cot like bed with a thin sheet and no pillow. It was dark except for a sliver of light coming in from the crack beneath the door and a candle sitting on the stool next to the cot.

"I'm not your mother; now get up before the mistresses get even angrier. I've taken care of your morning chores for you while you rested but I won't be doing your work any longer. I can't believe you only took one lash Ella, you're stronger then that. Is it that time of the month then?" asked the woman. She was an older woman in her fifties. She wore a simple brown dress with a few patches and a torn hem. Her apron was very stained and she smelled of baked bread. She had blonde hair, speckled with gray. Her skin was tan and rough looking like she had labored all her life. But her face was soft, like that of a mother or any kind-hearted soul.

"NO! And who are you?" I asked. I sat up and winced. The wound that ugly woman gave me was still fresh and it hurt like hell. This place was getting creepier then ever. It was like I was trapped in a fairy tale for god sake. Where was the electricity and hygiene? I mean I went to sleep in the twenty first century and woke up in the sixteenth.

"Ella did you lose your memory or something? It's me Rebecca. Ah, stop playing I'll not be doing anymore of your chores little girl. Get up, its time to sweep out the kitchen and clean the bed sheets." Rebecca replied.

"Right whatever," I groggily rolled out of bed and decided to play along with this charade until some stupid reality show host jumped out from behind a wall and screamed 'Gottcah'. Besides if I was Cinderella there was a handsome prince in my future right?

Rebecca showed me where I could find the broom and I set off sweeping. When I finished and Rebecca was satisfied I went upstairs to get the sheets off the beds. I walked past a sitting room where my "stepsisters" and "stepmother" were playing the harp and singing so off key that I rushed to get the sheets so I could take refuge from their voices.

I had just made it down the stairs when I heard a sharp rapping at the door. My "step-family" was obviously too occupied to answer it so I went to the door. Outside was a short little man dressed in an odd costume with a scroll. Without looking up he began to read.

"Dear sir or madam of this fine household. Please pardon this interruption as I inform you of a royal invitation," he handed me a sealed letter and kept on reading, "King Rupert and Queen Ann are holding a royal ball on behalf of their son Prince Hubert heir to the throne, in hopes that he will find a fiancé. They have graciously invited all eligible maidens in the surrounding area to attend. King Rupert, Queen Ann and Prince Hubert, hope that you, sir or madam, and your household will attend the ball and have a delightful evening. Thank you for listening to this royal decree and good day to you, sir or madam." At this point in his long drawn out decree he looked up and noticed my tattered clothing and disheveled hair. The look on his face was of such pure disgust that it almost made me laugh. I gave a deep curtsy.

"Thank you kind Sir, I will be sure to tell my Mother and sisters of this fine affair so that we can attend. I am sure it will be a most enjoyable evening. My mother, the mistress of this house, so does enjoy all social meetings," I replied with a smile spreading from ear to ear.

"Ah yes well, do note that this is a FORMAL affair and umm dress clothes are required," he replied his eyes searching from my feet to my hair.

"Yes of course I will inform my family, good day to you sir," I curtsied and closed the door. As soon as it shut I burst out laughing so hard that I began to get teary eyed. Just then my "Step" family came running down the stairs.

"Cinderella! What is so amusing," my evil stepmother asked. I couldn't answer her I just held up the letter and she snatched it from my hand. As she read it her eyes grew huge and she looked down at me as she passed it to my older sister. "I hope you did not laugh at the ROYAL herald who delivered this letter."

"It took all my will power not to but I did not _Madame_."

" Mother, Mother, is it true are we really to go to a royal ball. An **engagement** ball for the prince?" Asked the older sister.

"Yes dear Lucinda and you, the loveliest girl in the whole kingdom, will surely be picked for his bride," my stepmother replied.

"Oh mother how wonderful! But what shall I wear! None of my gowns will do! I need to have the best gown! Mother! **Mother**!" Lucinda whined.

"And what about me mother can't I go to?" Asked my younger stepsister. She was plump and squat. Her hair was black like coal from a fire. It was frizzy and stuck up from her head in odd angles. Her nose was bent slightly to the right as if she had broken it. Her eyes were set close together and were so dark they were almost black. She looked like a walking disaster.

"Why of course Jocasta, you will be going. Maybe you can meet a fine Knight to marry. All right girls the ball is in four days time we must hurry. TO THE MARKET!" My stepmother shouted.


	2. The Plan

The Plan

As soon as my stepfamily had gone to the market I formulated my plan. I knew my Cinderella stories and there were quite a few of them. I came to the conclusion that there probably was no "Fairy Godmother" so I needed to get things rolling on my own. I also remembered that my Stepmother would do whatever she could to stop me. There were a few ways she could do this:

1) She would give me loads of chores; so I made a list of things I would do in the next three days so the day of the ball would be free. I needed to wash all the floors, clean out the chimneys, pick all the apples from the orchard, dust all the rugs, wash all the bed pans, scrub out the wine cellar and I had to straighten out the black holes my stepsisters called closets.

2) My stepmother would ruin my dress. To prevent her from accomplishing this I planned to buy a crappy dress to present to her and buy a grand ball gown to slip into once she left.

3) My "mother" would then have to lock me in my room, but all other stories had left that for after the ball so I had time to plan for that one.

First things first I needed money. No person no matter how resourceful could make a ball gown fit for a queen out of rags. Besides I wasn't that talented with a needle and thread. I decided to look around the house for things to sell that my stepfamily wouldn't notice were missing. I searched the whole house but the only things that would get me any money were locked up in chests in the cellar or on display.

Then I found the stairs behind my stepmother's closet that lead to the attic. They were dusty and my stepmother was sure to have never used them. I walked up stairs only to send a cascading pile of dust in my direction. After a coughing fit I reached the attic. There wasn't much there, just old chests and furniture covered in dust. I looked through the piles; a candlestick here a rusty locket there. I piled anything I could find that would get a good price near the top of the stairs. I moved through the rubble and found enough junk that should have given me enough for a decent dress.

Then I spotted a chest in the far right corner stuck under an old table. I lugged it out and moved it into the open floor. The chest was medium sized but it sure was heavy. It was locked. I tried to pry it open but it wouldn't budge. I got so frustrated that I left with my pile of rubble and headed to the market.

When I reached the market I sold everything for about 100 coins. Which I learned equaled about seventy-five dollars in my normal currency. First thing first, I headed into a local dress shop and looked around. There were blue gowns here and green gowns there but nothing really caught my eye. Then I saw a gown, it wasn't gorgeous but it was the only thing my budget would allow that didn't look hideous. It was purple, lilac in color, it had short sleeves that came just over my shoulders and a wide square neck line that showed enough skin to get a guy interested but didn't leave me bare either. It was beaded around the neckline and down the slit in the skirt, which came all the way up to my hip, but there was a piece of fabric underneath. The back wasn't open, but at lest I wouldn't get cold. I asked the shop owner how much the dress was, it was 75 coins. Hopefully that would leave enough for my glass slippers.

I was about to exit the shop when I spotted my stepsister, Jocasta, and my stepmother. I quickly hid behind a rack of cloth. It was just my luck that they would enter the shop and stand in the doorway so I couldn't get out.

"Jocasta, search these fine shops until you find a suitable gown. No more than 300 coins. Your sister's dress cost me far too much already. Of well, as soon as she marries the prince she can pay me back the 1000 coins and more for that gown. Meet me here in half an hour and I will tell you if you may purchase the gown," my stepmother told Jocasta. With that she left. Jocasta began to look immediately at the small skinny dresses at the front of the shop. My chances of escaping were slim. I needed to think fast.

Then it hit me. Jocasta was deathly afraid of mice. Twos days ago she had made the house shake when she thought she saw a mouse outside her window in the front garden. So I acted fast; I made soft squeaking noises from behind the fabric and proceeded to get louder. Jocasta began to look worried when the owner of the store came to my rescue.

"Those damn mice they've been so bothersome theses days. Get the Broom Jeffery!" He shouted. Jocasta let out a blood-curtailing scream and bolted toward the door. She ran right up the street and into another dress shop. She would be scared away by a mouse but she wouldn't let her mother know that by not getting a gown to wear to the ball.

As soon as she had left the store I came out from behind the cloth and headed down the street in search of a shoe store. It was no use no shoe store sold anything but leather or cloth shoes. I was just out of luck. There weren't even sliver or shiny shoes, just black and brown. But it didn't matter, everything was too expensive anyway. I headed home with a deep sense of dread. The ball was in two days, if I didn't get things going and find my slippers and a fake dress my chances of meeting that hunk Prince Hubert were slim to nil.

* * *

When I got home I stashed my dress deep in the cupboard I called a room. I took no chances of letting my stepfamily find it. I set about my daily chores and finished them as quickly as possible. I finished them in an hour and started on Friday's biggest task, cleaning out the cellar. There were rat bones and broken wine bottles everywhere covered in layers of dust. The real Cinderella probably never cleaned this place out. I set about the task and got the mop and broom. I moved all the chests to the side of the cellar and swept and moped up the floor. Then I dusted off the shelves and replaced the chests. Then I straightened the place up and alphabetized all the wines and foods in storage. When it was done to perfection I went up stairs to start on my next duty.

I had washed all the floors on the first floor and dusted all the rugs before my stepfamily returned. When they arrived they went straight up stairs to their rooms with eight or nine big boxes of what could only be the materials for the ball. I was immediately called up stairs to assist them.

I walked into my stepmother's sitting room and curtsied. She instructed me to carefully open each box and spread the contents on the various chairs and sofa's in the room. The first box I opened contained hair ribbons, combs and brushes; along with the necessary pins and ointments to make my stepsisters horrible hair look decent for the ball. The next box held a bright pink shawl and a black shawl as well. The next box had a bright pink handbag and fan that matched the shawl in the other box. The fan was easily a foot long. The forth box contained a black bag and fan, this fan was not nearly as huge as the pink one. The fifth box contained shawl, bag and fan all forest green, the shawl was large but the bag and fan were both tiny. The next box contained a dark green gown. It was velvet and simple; even simpler then mine. It was huge, obviously Jocasta's. It had a square neck that covered most of the chest. It fell straight down and did not fan out even a bit at the bottom. The sleeves were three quarters long and billowed out to make giant bells around the elbows. It was hideous. The seventh box contained a black gown, simple but elegant. It had a shallow V-neck and a closed back. It puffed out around the waist and cascaded in lace. Its short sleeve shoulders puffed out to form giant pillows. It was clearly meant to cover up a lot of my old "mothers" body.

The finale box was huge. I was afraid to open it because I knew what was inside. Sure enough when I opened it I found the bright pink mass that was Lucinda's dress. What an ugly piece of cloth it was. After seeing it I was glad to have my simple purple gown to wear. The dress was so pink it was blinding. The top was slim fitting with a low-neck line. I was covered in yellow flowers. The sleeves were very short and were only a fraction of the puff on my stepmothers dress. The skirt was a piece of work. I was a giant mass of pink lace. Flowing from the flowers on the corset like top. It was so frilly that I almost lost my hand in it while I placed it on the love seat. As soon as I had finished with the monstrous dress down Lucinda walked in.

"Oh how lovely it is! Mother the prince is sure to notice me in this dress! Oh and how beautiful the lace is. Oh and those flowers! But mother what about jewelry? What am I to wear?" She cried.

"Don't fret dear. Tomorrow we will go into the town to our west to rent a carriage and coach man. Along with flowers and perfumes. Then the Thursday we will go into the city and buy you a fine necklace and many diamond bracelets to wear to the ball on Friday," My stepmother replied. As she said this she stroked the pile of fabric called Lucinda's dress.

"And what of me mother? What jewelry shall I wear with my lovely green gown?" Jocasta asked.

"You have plenty of jewelry Jocasta," she replied. After she said this she dismissed me and told the girls to get ready for supper.

I continued to clean the floors and dust the rugs on the second floor. When I was finished I set the table and called my stepfamily to dinner. After waiting on them hand and foot and putting them to bed I went into the kitchen and ate my supper. Then I went into my room a slept off a long, grueling day of labor.

As soon as my stepfamily left in the morning I rushed through my daily chores. Then I picked all the apples from the orchard and scrubbed the bedpans. I started with the chimneys on the second floor and worked my way into the kitchen. There I was caught red handed not only stealing some of Rebecca's scones but cleaning a chimney that was supposed to be cleaned later that week.

"Get you hands away from that plate this instant Ella!" Rebecca snapped as she walked into the Kitchen.

"Sorry Becca but you know I can't resist your baking," I replied.

"Becca? Where did that name come from? I haven't been called that since I was a girl."

"Well you are a Becca you know."

"Aye. And what are you doing cleaning out the chimneys? Come to think of it you've also washed the floors and cleaned the cellar. What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to get a head start on my chores, that's all."

"A head start? You've taken a running leap. Come straight with me know!"

"Honest Rebecca I only wanted to get things done in my spare time so that maybe when I slow down the work load will be smaller." I lied with a fake smile. Hoping she would buy it but at the same time knowing it was useless.

"Don't lie to me? I know what's going on this Friday. Are you thinking about going to that ball Ella? Do you know what your stepmother will do if she finds out your going?"

"She'll give me more chores and rip up my dress."

"No… well yes, probably. But that's not the point. She won't let you go Ella. She won't take the chance that anyone will want to marry you and she'll lose her free labor."

"I know Rebecca but I have to take that chance. I can't just sit here and waste away."

"Ella… and what do you plan on wearing? There's nothing you own but rags and smocks. That's not attire fit for a fancy ball."

"Rebecca I've already bought a dress, its purple. Don't worry I have everything covered."

"A dress? Where did you get it? You haven't been stealing from you stepsisters have you?"

"I wouldn't call it stealing Rebecca," I said looking at the floor.

"ELLA! Young lady what kind of trouble have you gotten into?" She looked at me worriedly and came a bit closer holding my shoulders so I had to face her.

"I got into the attic and sold what I could find to buy a dress. I promise it wasn't much, I only got 100 coins."

"Girl, what if she finds out? She'll have you put in the stocks for sure! You be careful now. And when you go to that ball you hide well away from her. If she finds you there she'll lock you up so fast your pretty little head will spin on its neck," she let go of my shoulders and walked toward the door, "Now get back to that chimney and if any soot gets in my kitchen you had best clean it up before I get back." With that she left and I got back to my cleaning.

After my stepfamily returned I served them dinner and went to bed. By the time I fell asleep I was so tired I slept through my morning chores. I woke to a sharp knock on my door from Rebecca who had covered for me by saying I was in the orchard picking apples. My stepfamily had already gone into the city. I got up, ate breakfast and groggily got started on cleaning out Jocasta's closet.

It was a pile of trash. Huge gowns covered the floor and bags and ribbons were everywhere. When I had finally sorted and hung up all the clothes I found the remnants of hidden food smashed into the floor. After cleaning the food out I found dead mouse bones and other animals that had suffocated under the pile of clothing and garbage. I sorted her clothes in rainbow order and placed all her shoes neatly on the floor beneath the gowns. When I was done I lay down on her bed and rested my muscles.

After a short rest I got up and went to go tackle Lucinda's closet. Although it was packed with more clothing it was a little less of a disaster. Some of the many gowns were already hung up, probably her favorites. I sorted the rest of them and placed them on there proper hooks in her deep large closet. Other than her mothers she had the biggest closet in the entire house. Next I tackled her shoes. Those were thrown deep into her closet. I got down on all fours and reached deep into the back corner. I pulled out what I thought was her other black dancing shoe only to find a small jewelry box.

I was odd looking. It had an intricate design of swirls on its lid. It was only about four inches long and two inches wide. I turned it around in my hands slowly inspecting the outside. When I opened it I expected to find old bracelets and necklaces that were a Childs plaything thrown deep into a closet and forgotten about. Instead I found a key, a small old-fashioned bronze key. It puzzled me for a second, and then it hit me. Maybe it was the key to the chest in the attic. I got so excited I nearly shouted out my excitement. I caught myself just in time and slipped the key into my pocket. I replaced the box back to its corner and finished straightening the closet. I knew I had about two hours before my stepfamily got back so I set out for the attic to test the key in the chest.

* * *

I slowly walked up the stairs into the attic. I didn't want dust to get into my Stepmothers closet because I would have to clean it up later. When I reached the attic it was just as had left it. There were piles of things that weren't worth selling and old furniture roughly pushed against walls. Then I spotted it. The old chest was sitting in the middle of the room on an old rug just where I had left it. It was brown in color but had red paint chips still cling to the wood. It was securely built. I could see the tough nails and iron used to keep whatever was inside safe. I knelt down in front of it and inspected the lock. It was a sturdy iron lock. It had a few of the same swirls that were on the jewelry box around the keyhole. I took out the key and inspected it. It was made of bronze and had two rectangles at the one end. They were no doubt fit for the lock the key opened. I slowly fitted the key into the lock and turned it little by little. As I turned it to the right I heard a small click and almost jumped in joy. I turned the key back to the center and tried the lid. No luck, the key didn't unlock the chest.

I lay down on the floor and cried silent tears. I was miserable. Whatever was in that chest was surely expensive enough to sell and buy a beautiful dress and pay a glassmaker to blow my shoes. I couldn't stand the torture of not knowing what was inside. I wasted away a good hour crying and moaning on the attic floor wondering how I was ever to get the princes attention in my hideous purple gown. No matter how I spun it no prince would want a cinder-girl who looked decent in a purple piece of junk.

I picked up the key and started down the stairs. I tossed the key on my stepmother's bed and stared at it as the sun hit it and made it twinkle. Then I remembered something; some locks opened to the left! I felt like such an idiot! I ran up the stairs like there was no tomorrow and put the key in the chest and turned it to the left and felt a little resistance so I shoved harder. I heard and click and felt a release. Without taking out the key I flung the chest wide open. Inside was a simple red cloth.

At first I was disappointed. I expected to find gold jewels in the chest, enough to buy the country twice over. Then I noted a bulge in the center of the fabric. I lifted the cloth only to gaze upon the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. In the center of the chest was a beautiful comb made of silver with a blue and white lily. It had two matching clips. I also found a set of silver earrings. They were simple sets of chains about an inch long that ended in pearls. Next there was a necklace. It was a simple chain of silver but hanging from it were icicle like strands of diamonds set in sliver. The combs, earrings and necklace were so beautiful I started to cry.

As I cried my tears fell onto what had to be the most beautiful piece of fabric I had ever seen. I placed the jewelry on the floor and slowly lifted the gown out of the chest. It was a light blue almost white that caught what little light there was in the attic and glimmered. It had a skirt that puffed out just slightly on the hips yet didn't look like a mountain. The body was the same fabric with a few hand-sown lilies along the neckline and down the right side. The neckline was about a half inch above the chest and it curved up on the sides into simple sleeves that ended just after the shoulders. The back was open to about the small of the back where the dress continued and fell down into the skirt. It was long enough to cover my feet completely. It was so wonderful that I was afraid to put it on. But then I spotted a mirror hiding under an old sheet and knew I had to.

If fit perfectly. It made my waist look so slim and my chest look magnificent. It was modest and at the same time bold. It was so gorgeous it made me cry. I put on the necklace and the earrings and tentatively arranged my hair with the combs. I looked like a model. All the hard labor had pulled off. I looked so stunning I didn't notice the time slip by. When I finally woke from my daze of turning in front of the mirror a good hour had slipped by. I took the combs out of my hair and took off the jewelry. Then I spotted it, a rough piece of parchment at the bottom of the chest. I slowly picked it up and opened it. It was a letter; a letter to the real Cinderella.

_Dear Ella,_

_Ella by the time you read this I will surly have been long gone and dead. I just want you to know that I love you and so does your father. Please take good care of him while I'm gone. He may seem tough but you and I both know that no man is complete without a loving woman at his side. If you are reading this then it means you are now sixteen and ready to be looking for a husband of your own._ _Oh Ella how I wish I could be there to see you in this gown with you hair done up in combs. These gifts, which I leave to you, have been passed down in our family for generations. My grandmother sowed this gown herself and now I am passing it on to you. Take care of it Ella and give it to your daughter one day as a gift for her sixteenth birthday. Ella the only piece of wisdom that I can share with you now is to marry for love. Your father and I had an arranged marriage and although were both loved each other most cases are not as simple as ours. Ella you will know when the right man comes so do not fret. Take care of yourself and your father and wear this gown at your coming out party just as I did. I love you Ella._

_Yours always,_

_Mother_

I burst into tears and sank to the floor. Not only had the real Cinderella lost her mother, she lost her chance to get her prince at the ball. But I wouldn't let her down. I would go to the ball and get the prince to fall in love with me so that if we ever returned to our correct times that she would have a promising life to look forward to.

Just as I made this decision I heard a screeching at the front of the house. I ran to the only window in the attic and peered outside. My stepfamily had returned and they were now exciting their carriage. I sprang into action. I took off the dress and returned it to the chest. Then I put the jewelry on top and shut and locked the chest. I hurriedly put it back into it original spot under the table. As I was racing down the stairs I heard my stepmother calling me from the hallway. I shoved the key deep into my pocket and shut the attic door. I ran into her room just as she entered.

"ELLA! What are you doing?" She demanded as she looked around suspiciously.

"I was just straightening up your closet Madam," I replied with a curtsy.

"Well, very well then. Go and get supper ready the girls are starving," She replied. I hurried out of the room and got to the kitchen. I informed Rebecca that the family wanted their dinner and hurried into my cupboard I called a room. I took the key out of my pocket and hid it deep inside the cupboard where no one would find it. Then I got ready to serve dinner. After dinner my stepmother and sisters went up stairs to sing as I cleaned up. After an hour or so of noise they went to bed. I knew they would sleep long into the morning so that they could be well rested for the ball so I asked Rebecca to let me do the same. She agreed after a long speech about how stupid I was being.

* * *

After some long needed sleep I woke to the smell of fresh bread, eggs and bacon. I happily went into the kitchen and ate breakfast with Rebecca. After about an hour or so of goofing off we finally heard the bells that signaled that my stepfamily was up and ready for breakfast in bed. I put food on two trays and delivered it to my stepsisters. Jocasta wasn't even awake but as soon as she smelled the bacon she sat straight up and dug in. Lucinda sent me back down to the kitchen to fetch her "Fresh" milk, which Rebecca just happened to spit in. Afterwards I got another tray loaded with all the best foods for my stepmother. I delivered it to her room and stood in the doorway pretending to be sheepish.

"That is all Ella," She replied. I just stood there smiling inside, "I said that's all. What are you standing there for?"

"Stepmother, I mean Madam. I was just wondering if I could go to the ball as well?" I said as timidly as possible.

"You? Go to the Ball?"

"Yes Madam, the invitation did state that all maidens were allowed to attend." I replied.

"And what do you plan on doing? Do you plan to find a husband? You make me laugh."

"No Madam. I just wanted to see the prince and watch him dance with Lucinda." I said trying not to laugh.

"Very well then, you may go," She said, "But only if you have finished all your chores and have something suitable to wear."

"Yes madam thank you!" I said knowing she had taken my bait perfectly.

"Wait Cinderella! Don't forget you need to: wash the cellar, clean the chimneys, pick all the apples from the orchard, wash all the floors and clean the carriage." She replied with a smile on her face knowing I would never get it all done.

"Yes Madam I'll get right on it!" I replied, secretly cursing for not thinking of the carriage earlier. I quickly went down stairs and got into work clothes. I went out into the stable and started on the Carriage. I know I didn't have to worry about my stepfamily noticing me not doing my other chores because they would be to busy with their hair and dresses. When I was finished I went into the house and quickly went over everything in with a rag to make it look freshly cleaned.

Then I went into the kitchen and got a bar of soap and a clean dishrag. I ran out into an orchard and bathed in a stream. I scrubbed myself from top to bottom until was red and by the time I was finished it was already four o'clock. I walked back to the house. My stepsisters were well into the pampering and were going to be leaving in an hour. I went around the house making sure all my chores were done and then I got into my dress; the purple one. I walked up into Lucinda's room where most of the preparations were taking place. They were already dressed and ready to go. All they were doing now was fussing over little details.

"Madam, I'm ready to go." I said.

"WHAT?" The three all said at once turning from their tasks. They looked me up and down. The looks on their faces were of such shock and disgust that they looked like they would faint.

"But Cinderella… Are all your chores done? Surly you didn't finish the cellar?" My stepmother replied.

"Yes madam, all chores completed as asked."

"Mother why is she in that dress?" Lucinda asked.

"Lucinda dear, if Cinderella has truly finished her chores she has been… promised to be allowed to attend the ball." My stepmother replied.

"WHAT? But she's a MAID!" Jocasta screamed.

"Cinderella are all you chores completed?" Lucinda said worriedly, "Have you cleaned out my closet?" She threw the door open wide only to reveal that it was neat and tidy.

"Jocasta run around the house and make sure Cinderella has completed all the chores." My stepmother demanded. It took her ten minuets but she returned out of breath.

"Well… did she finish?" Lucinda asked. All Jocasta could manage was a quick nod. "Mother how can you let this happen?"

"A Promise is a promise Lucinda. However we must inspect her gown and make sure it is suitable for the ball," My stepmother replied; she took the fabric in her hand, "Tsk Tsk Tsk, this wont due. The fabric is poor quality. And just look at this sleeve not properly sown on." With that she gave the sleeve a tug and ripped it off the dress. My stepsisters looked shocked but Lucinda soon caught onto what was going on. I let out a fake gasp of shock and horror each time they ripped my dress.

"Oh and look at this slit. It wont due," Lucinda said as she ripped even further up my dress, "And this neck line much to beaded." She preceded to ripe my dress to shreds. Jocasta caught on just in time to have the fun of ripping off my other sleeve before the dress was completely ruined.

"Oh dear Cinderella your dress is surely not fit for a Ball. And look at the time there is no chance you could be ready to leave with us," My stepmother said with a smile as she watched me fake sob and sink to the floor, "Come on now girls its time to leave." They left me there on the floor and quickly got in their carriage. As soon as I heard them rolling away I sprang into action.

I went down to my room and got the key. Then I went into the attic and got my real dress and jewelry and went down into Lucinda's room and began to get ready. I had gotten into my dress and jewelry when Rebecca walked in.

"OH! You look beautiful Ella!" She cried, "That dress is a gift from God. But what about your hair, how will you do it?"

"I'm not sure, I'm just kind of going to put it up," I replied.

"What that won't do! Let me do it for you." With that she picked up a brush and attacked my hair. She pulled it this way and tugged it that way. In a matter of minutes my hair was perfect. Part of my hair was piled on my head in a bun arranged so that the silver comb was easily seen. Next she placed the clips in my hair on either side. The rest of my hair fell down my back in tight golden ringlets. I looked so beautiful I started to cry.

"Oh, don't do that you ruin your makeup," She said. Then she noticed I wasn't wearing any so she set out making my face glow. She applied dark eyeliner and a soft blue-green eye shadow to accent my eyes. Then she put on a deep red lip tint and some pink blush. I looked so beautiful that I kissed her and left a red mark on her cheek.

"Thank you Rebecca!" I replied hugging her.

"Aye girl you deserve it! Now go to that ball and find yourself a good man to get you out of this mess." After she said that I put on my brown shoes and headed down stairs. I figured that the prince would just have to find me with a brown work shoe because that's all I had to wear. I opened the door and started on my adventure.

Before I could even take a step I noticed something sitting on the front stoop. It was a pair of glass slippers just my size. I knelt down and picked them up in shock. Underneath was a letter addressed to me.

_Ella,_

_Next time, just ask and I'll give you everything you need. _

_With Love (and Luck),_

_Your Fairy Godmother_

_P.S. The magic will wear off at midnight._

I laughed and put on the slippers. I looked up and there was, my pumpkin carriage. It was orange with two white horses in front and a little coachman holding the door open. I smiled and got into it. I was off to the ball to meet Prince Hubert, my "one true love".


	3. The Ball

The Ball

The clock tower struck eight as I entered the carriage. The inside was plush orange and white velvet. It was very comfortable and the ride to the castle only took about twenty minuets. Along the way we passed through the village. It was full of merry people on their way to the ball. It seemed that everyone was enjoying the night out.

The castle was made of a gray stone. It was four or five stories high with three tall towers. The central tower held the town clock. The numbers on the clock were large and black with gold accents. The other two towers were facing east and west. Out of each window hung banners of the country's colors, gold and red. I wasn't really sure what country it was. Everyone spoke English, but it didn't seem to be England.

The carriage pulled around to the front of the castle and let me out at a grand central staircase. It was lined with magnificent gardens with evergreen bushes cut into various shapes. The stairs were marble and led to a large wood door that was open to the ballroom. I followed the flow of people up the stairs and into the castle.

Numerous chandeliers that hung from the high ceiling lighted the room. It was a circular room surrounded by stain glass windows, with a few verandas opening into various gardens. At the far end of the room was a raised platform with three thrones, the largest for the King, the one on the right from the Queen and the one on the left for Prince Hubert. Only the King and Queen were seated, the prince was probably dancing with another maiden. But not for long if I had anything to say about it.

Off to the side were tables and chairs for guests to sit. It seemed like a school dance, only very large scale and upper class. The center of the room was reserved for dancing; there must have been a hundred couples twirling to the orchestra. It was a beautiful waltz and all the couples seemed to know exactly how to dance to it. This worried me. Sure I knew how to do the Macarena and the mambo number 5, but I was not a ballroom dancer. Well I would just have to cross that bridge later.

I noticed a line of girls that circled around the side of the ballroom. It reached from the door all the way to the other end, near the thrones. I walked over to the girl at the end of the line and asked her what she was in line for.

"To dance with Prince Hubert of course!" She replied. She was an interesting looking girl. She had dark charcoal hair that fell straight down her back and her eyes were a piercing gray. He dress was a midnight blue that had silver moons and stars embroidered on it. She was beautiful except for her nose, which was hooked like a birds beak and quite large. She stood facing the thrones eagerly awaiting her chance to dance with the Prince.

I figured it was a good idea to get in line so I could meet my "Prince Charming". I stood behind the girl in the midnight blue gown and waited for my chance.

It wasn't long before I was bored out of my mind. The line seemed to go on forever and hardly ever moved. When it did move it might move up quite a lot or only a few inches. I soon lost interest in the wait and started to gaze around the ballroom.

There were women dressed in all different colored gowns in an assortment of styles. The men were dressed just as elaborately; some even wore high-heeled shoes! Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as I waited impatiently to dance with the Prince.

After waiting on line for about a half an hour I was able to get a glimpse of the prince. I stood at the center of the line looking across the ballroom at the thrones. Prince Hubert had retired to his throne and was taking a break from dancing with all the eligible ladies. He sat slumped on the throne gnawing on a leg of turkey. His tunic was stained with wine he drunkenly spilled on himself and he chewed with his mouth open. His hair was a dark brown that was tussled all over; he seriously needed a haircut. His eyes were an ordinary brown and his nose was bent; he must have broken it. I stood open mouthed in disbelief. This was the Prince I was supposed to marry? This was my knight in shining armor?

As I sat there gawking at the prince as a young women stepped out from the front of the line and approached the thrones. She bowed low and addressed the Prince. I was to far away to hear what was being said but I saw what happened. The girl was rather plump and was wearing a bright yellow gown. She had chestnut brown hear pilled on her head in a tight bun. She gave a low bow and spoke to the Prince. He looked at her in disgust and waved his turkey leg. An attendant came and quickly escorted the girl away from the throne. When she passed me she was sobbing. I watched the Prince dismiss the next three girls and I watched as they walked past me in tears. The forth girl was obviously up to the princes standards; a tall blonde with very large breasts and a low cut dress. She also had a tendency to stumble into the Prince as they walked onto the dance floor.

I was so shocked I didn't move up with the line and three girls cut me. How could my Prince charming be such a heartless slob? I was supposed to fall in love with him? It didn't seem possible. I continued in the line in a daze. After about ten minutes I decided not to let first impressions ruin everything. Maybe the Prince was reacting to something the girls had said and maybe he had had a little too much to drink and forgot his manners. I wouldn't give up the hope of escaping "my stepfamily".

"Madam?" A voice said to my right. I turned to look into the face of a gorgeous man. He was tall, perhaps six feet. With dark brown hair and dazzling green eyes. He smiled at me with nearly perfect teeth; remember there are no braces. He gave a small bow and held out his hand. "I was wondering if you would do me the honor of dancing with me?"

I stood speechless. Where had he come from? It took me a moment before I could stammer, "Uh um, but the, um, Prince."

"Oh I see. Perhaps after you have had a chance to dance with Prince Hubert then." The man said. The smile disappeared from his face for a moment but returned again quickly. He gave me another bow and started to walk away.

"Wait! One dance couldn't hurt, right?" I said. I didn't know what had come over me. I was supposed to be dancing with the Prince not some random guy. But when he turned around and gave me a huge smile that made his eyes shine and I couldn't resist. He held out his hand and I placed mine in his. He pulled me from the line and onto the dance floor. He held my right hand in his left and put his other hand on my waist. Before I knew it we where spinning along to a waltz.

I may have stepped on his foot at one point but he never said anything about it. I gazed into his smiling face as he led me in-between the couples on the dance floor. Colorful skirts twirled all around me.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is your name?" He asked as he twirled me around and around.

"Cinderella."

"What a beautiful name." He replied. I didn't really understand him, how was "Cinderella" a beautiful name? It didn't really matter though I was to intoxicated by his smile.

"What's your name?" I blurted out after a few moments of silence.

"William." He replied with an even bigger smile; soon after that the music stopped and we stepped off the dance floor.

"I guess I should escort you back to the line of maidens waiting to dance with Prince Hubert. That is unless you would rather go get refreshments or something?" I turned and looked at the line of girls. It had grown longer during my dance with William. I did not look forward to waiting to dance with the slob. I looked back at William and decided the Prince could wait.

"Refreshments would be lovely!" I replied and he escorted me to a table covered in different types of food and drink. It wasn't long until William and I fell into a conversation about noting in particular. It was so easy to talk to him, even though it was very hard not to lose focus looking into his eyes. After awhile we returned to the dance floor. It wasn't till after the third song that I heard someone clear their voice behind me.

"Ahem!" William and I turned around only to come face to face with Prince Hubert. "William," he said.

"Hubert," William replied. Then the prince turned to me.

"I was wondering if perhaps you would like the pleasure of having a chance to dance we me," Prince Hubert said putting his hand dramatically on his heart. I almost laughed. Then I remembered that I was supposed to be dancing with him in the first place. I looked to William and asked him with my eyes if it was all right for me to dance with Hubert. William understood and gave a small bow to Prince Hubert and then me; them he disappeared into the crowed.

"I would love to your majesty," I replied. The Prince took my hand and led me to the very center of the dance floor. The other couples moved away so that there was a large area in the middle of all the dancers for the Prince and me. Just then the music started. The Prince took my right hand in his and laid his other hand roughly on my waist. His hand was slimy and he gripped my hand to tightly. It wasn't long until he was leading me around the dance floor, but he couldn't stay in time with the music so we tended to run into couples as they danced alongside us. The prince led me in a big circle and then stomped on my foot.

"Do try to watch where you put your feet!" The Prince exclaimed as he pushed his way through another group of couples. I soon understood why the dancers had given us so much room on the dance floor. Not out of respect for the Prince but rather because he would bang into them. It was probably the worst five minuets of my life, almost worse then cleaning Jocasta's feet. In fact at that moment I realized I hadn't seen my stepfamily once this evening.

"Your Majesty, do you remember dancing with a girl in a bright pink dress with flowers on it?" I asked.

"You can't expect me to remember whom I've been dancing with!" The Prince exclaimed. Just then the music ended and the Prince bowed his head as I curtsied. "I can't really see what William sees in you, you're not that pretty and you're a horrible dancer," the Prince said as he walked away from me and back to his throne. I stood opened mouthed in shock. Prince Hubert had just insulted me after he nearly broke my toes. I couldn't believe it. This was THE PRINCE? He was Cinderella's wonderful husband who would save her from poverty and be her one true love? All the fairytales I'd ever read made the Prince out to be a handsome, charming young man who was very brave and daring. I couldn't believe that this was the man I was supposed to marry. It wasn't possible. Just then I heard a shrill voice behind me shout.

"But Mother! I want another chance to dance with the Prince!" It was Lucinda and she was standing right near me by a refreshments table. I looked over and saw her arguing with her evil mother while Jocasta ate her fill of the chocolates.

"Darling, it's almost midnight and I'm ever so tired! The Prince has rejected you once, let us go and prepare for the next royal ball so that we may show them what a mistake it was not to pick you as the Prince's Fiancée," My "stepmother" replied. I quickly ducked between the couples and made my way to the other side of the dance floor. I looked up at the clock; it was only one minute to twelve. Time had flown by without my noticing it.

I quickly headed for the door. The clock began to strike twelve as I reached the stairs that lead from the ballroom dance floor to the main exit. I started to pick up speed when I noticed my stepfamily on the other side of the ballroom beginning to get on their shawls and head for the door.

"CINDERELLA WAIT!" came a cry from behind me. I turned and saw William shoving his way through the crowd. The clock rang a third time and I started up the stairs.

"I'm sorry William but I really have to go!" I yelled back. I got about half way up the stairs when William reached the bottom of them. I should have stopped and talked to him but I knew that what magic I had left was about to disappear, and I wanted to try and see if I could get at least part of the way home in the carriage, or at least get a head start on my stepfamily.

"Prince William where are you going?" a guard asked from the bottom of the stairs. I stood still and turned slowly around. I couldn't believe my ears.

"What did he just say?" I asked William. He winced and looked up at me. He had a small frown on his face as he climbed the stairs to reach me.

"I wanted to tell you, really I did. You must believe me! But, I thought you would think of me differently if you knew I was a Prince. I just wanted to be normal for one night. You understand don't you?" He asked. He stood about three steps below me; "You don't hate me now do you?"

I looked at him and realized that fairytales did exist. THIS was my Prince Charming. William, or rather Prince William, was Cinderella's knight in shinning armor; and to tell the truth at that moment I was glad I was Cinderella because Prince William sure was HOTT. Just then I looked over his shoulder and saw my stepfamily about to breach the crowd and head for the stairs.

"Shoot! I have to go NOW William, I mean, your Majesty," I said as I started to head up the stairs again.

"No need say 'your Majesty' its just William. And when can I see you again?" He pleaded. His eyes were so green that I froze in my tracks and stood there as the clock rang for the ninth time. I looked at the clock then across the room at my stepfamily. They had stopped to talk to a neighbor but they would be coming up the stairs soon and if I wasn't careful they might recognize me. Then it hit me, the glass slipper!

"Here use this!" I said as I took off my right slipper and tossed it to William. He caught it with ease and looked confused. I ran up the stairs, a little unladylike, and headed for the door. William followed me.

"But what am I supposed to do with this?" He asked.

"You'll figure it out!" I yelled and ran out the door. The clock rang the twelfth time as I rounded the corner onto the lawn where the carriages were kept. I looked out onto the field only to see my pumpkin carriage turn into a regular pumpkin and my horse turn into a donkey.

'At least I still have something to ride home on,' I thought as I made my way across the lawn to where my carriage had been. I needed to get home before my stepfamily, or I would be screwed.


	4. The Kiss

The Kiss

I ran across the lawn and jumped up onto the donkey's back. Sitting sidesaddle on a donkey in a white ball gown was easily the most difficult thing I had ever done. Time was running out as I kicked the donkey into a gallop and rode home as fast as possible. I figured I had five minutes until my "stepfamily" made there way to the front of the castle. Then I had another ten for them to get into their carriage. I hoped that a fifteen-minute head start would give me enough time to get home and change before they did. I spurred on the donkey as I raced down the muddy streets towards home.

"Rebecca!" I shouted as I ran from the barn into the kitchen. I had arrived to the house safely if not a little sweaty. My dress had a few dark stains from the mud, nothing a good and quick washing couldn't fix. After all it was Cinderella's dress, not mine, and I wanted to keep it clean for her when or if we switched back.

"What's wrong lass?" Rebecca shouted back as she ran in from the living room. She was dressed in her nightgown, complete with a white frilly hat.

"My stepmother and sisters will be home soon," I replied, pulling the pins out of my hair, " Can you help me hide this dress and get into my normal clothes."

"Of course! Hurry come over here so we can get that dress off," she replied. She helped me take it off and change into my normal outfit. Then I ran over to the fire pit and began to rub soot onto my face and arms, even into my hair. When I was sufficiently dirty I took my remaining glass slipper and the dress into the cellar and stored it in a chest behind a pile of rags.

"Cinderella!" I heard my stepmother shriek from up stairs. I ran up the stairs and slammed the cellar door shut behind me right before she strolled into the kitchen.

"Yes Madame?" I asked, "How was the ball?"

"Dreadful," She said with exasperation, flinging her arms into the air, "Make me some tea at once and bring it to my room. I'm going to bed; do not wake the girls or me in the morning. Not unless it is an emergency. You of course should have finished all your chores by the time I get up tomorrow." After her speech she stomped her way up to her room and went to bed. A few minutes later I brought her and my stepsisters tea. Jocasta was already asleep in her ball gown. It took me thirty minutes to wrestle her out of it and into her bedclothes.

The following morning was surprisingly uneventful. Rebecca let me sleep in and took care of most of my chores. She even washed the ball gown and made me some breakfast. As I sat in the kitchen eating ham with bread and jam, Rebecca started to ask me about the ball.

"Now lass, Tell me everything, down to the color of the embroidery on the napkins!" Rebecca insisted. I laughed and spread some jam onto a piece of bread.

"Well Rebecca where should I start? At the part where I found the Crown Prince to be a complete jerk and a total slob? Or the moment I realized the handsome Sir William, was actually a prince?" Rebecca stared at me wide eyed and almost dropped a plate. I smiled a large toothy grin and told her every detail of the previous evening, starting with my carriage ride and ending with my mad dash into the house. "You know the rest," I told her.

She laughed and told me that I was one lucky girl. But we didn't have much time to converse because just then my stepmother woke up and screamed down the stairs for her morning tea and breakfast, even though it was well past noon.

A week passed and nothing eventful happened. I washed the floors and cleaned the windows. I aired dirty laundry and washed dishes. I had only just began to worry that William wouldn't understand what to do with my slipper when my "stepsisters" came home from town screaming about the Prince.

"Mother Mother!" Lucinda wailed as she skittered into the parlor, "You will never believe the news from town!" She didn't even pause for a second before she continued, "His Royal highness, PRINCE William, has found and lost his 'one true love'. The news is that he fell in love with a girl at Prince Hubert's engagement ball. Oh mother! That girl must be me! Don't you think so? Oh to be a Princess!"

"He fell in love with ME!" Jocasta wailed as she huffed and puffed her way to the couch.

"Now now girls, tell me what you heard in town." My stepmother said.

"Janet, the seamstress, told me that Prince William was in search of a girl he met at the Royal Ball. And that he had her glass slipper. And that any girl who fit into the slipper would become his bride. Now Janet said he's been going door to door all over the Kingdom, but no girl has been able to fit into the slipper. But I will mother, it is my fate to wed the prince!" Lucinda insisted, as she passed back and forth across the room.

"Is this true?" My stepmother asked Jocasta.

"That's what Janet said, but I will fit the slipper. Then I will marry the Prince and never run anywhere again!" Jocasta replied as she continued to catch her breath. I smiled to myself; everything was going according to plan. I went to the ball and met Prince Charming (I mean Price William), then when I fit into the glass slipper Cinderella would have her happily ever after.

"What are you smiling about?" my "stepmother" asked, "Hurry and go scrub the front hall spotless! Who knows when the Prince will arrive? We must make this house impeccable! When he arrives he will surly find one of you two lovely girls to fit the slipper. And you Cinderella, make sure to disappear as soon as the Prince arrives, we don't need your presence making his Highness ill!" With that the three evil step's hurried up to their rooms to prepare for Prince Williams arrival.

I spent the next couple of days happily scrubbing down the house. I wanted everything to be tidy for Williams's arrival. I washed the windows, weeded the garden, dusted everything, aired out all the rooms and even scrubbed out the fireplaces. My "stepmother" noted the improvement in my mood and the extra vigor with which I washed the house.

"What's the reason for you sweet smile my dear?" She asked, clearly irked by my good mood.

"Nothing mother!" I replied and continued to beat the dust out of the curtains.

"Surly there is some reason my dear," She insisted.

"I tell you no lies. I'm only happily cleaning the house for the awaited Prince so that he may find his bride!" I replied, smiling at the irony in my own statement.

"I'm glad you have such faith in your sisters Cinderella," My stepmother replied, " Your looking awfully healthy my dear. Have you bathed recently?"

"I bathed yesterday," I replied suspiciously, why would she be concerned with my hygiene all of a sudden. Just then Lucinda came hurdling down the stairs.

"Mother Mother! The Prince is coming! I was watching from my window and then I saw he's carriage come down the road. Oh Mother, It's beautiful! There is GOLD on it! Hurry Mother Hurry!" Lucinda screamed. Jocasta was beginning to shuffle down the stairs as Lucinda ran around the house making everything perfect. My smile grew as I subconsciously prepared myself for Williams's arrival; this did not go unnoticed by my stepmother.

"Hurry Cinderella, help me get some things from my room!" She told me. We hurried up to her room and she pushed me towards the closet as if to get something from inside. As soon as I was deep inside she swung the door shut behind me and locked it from the outside. "You weren't thinking of trying on that slipper were you my dear. Surly the Prince will not marry a girl of such meager standings as you! Now just stay quite and don't make a fuss. I will come to fetch you when one of your sisters is announced his Fiancé!"

I couldn't believe what had just happened! I had just forgotten the most pivotal part to any Cinderella story! The part where the stepmother locks Cinderella in a room so that she can't try on the glass slipper. I cursed at myself and tried to break down the door. It wouldn't budge. I was thoroughly locked in the closet. I could just imagine the scene in the parlor; William would walk into the room, complete with royal herald and royal trumpet player. Then my "stepsisters" would both take turns trying on the glass slipper; neither of them would come close to fitting into it. Then I was supposed to use my secret key, supplied by my friendly mice minions, to open the closet door and make my grand entrance. At which point I would try on the glass slipper and be whisked away to the castle to become the Prince's wife. But just my luck, I hadn't made friends with the mice!

I looked around frantically for anything I could use to break down the door. Then I noticed the stairs to the attic. I hurried up them and looked for something, anything, to get me out of this predicament.

I spotted a window high up on the wall. I dragged a chest over beneath it and climbed up to see outside. Sure enough there was the carriage sitting pleasantly in front of the house, complete with pure black stallions and royal guards. William was nowhere to be seen, he was probably already inside the house. I banged on the glass in order to get the attention of the guards. But it wasn't working. I looked around and noticed an old horseshoe hanging on the wall. I jumped off the chest and retrieved it. I used all my strength and hurled the horseshoe up over my head and through the window. Then I climbed back up onto the chest and looked outside. Sure enough all the guards were now looking straight at me.

"Hello down there! Can I possibly ask for some assistance?" I inquired. They all looked a little puzzled but finally one guard replied.

"What are you doing girl? Why are you throwing things out of your own windows?" he asked.

"Oh don't worry about that, its not important. What is important however is that I seem to have locked myself into the closet and am unable to get out. Would one of you gentlemen do me the enormous favor of walking around to the back of the house and telling the kitchen woman, Rebecca, that Miss Ella has locked herself into her Mothers closet?"

"Wouldn't it be better if we told your mother?" Another guard asked, clearly amused by the situation.

"Oh please don't," I replied, batting my eyelashes and pouting my lips, "She would be ever so mad at me if she found out that I did it again!" The guards laughed and the head guard sent another around the house to tell Rebecca to set me free.

A few moments later Rebecca had successful sneaked up into my "stepmother's" room and unlocked the closet door. She didn't even ask any questions but pushed me towards the stairs.

"Are these all the girls in the household Madame?" I heard the herald ask as I reached the top of the stairs.

"Yes sir, these are my only daughters. There are no other girls in this house." My stepmother replied.

"But Mother," I said as I walked down the stairs, "Have you forgotten about me?" All eyes turned to me. Lucinda and Jocasta looked shocked; my Stepmother looked furious. I grinned and continued to walk down the stairs.

"Madame is this not a girl of this household?" The herald asked. William looked up at me from his seat by the fireplace. He seemed to remember me, but I probably looked a lot different in torn, dust covered, clothes.

"She is but a maid. Surely she is not the girl you are looking for," my Stepmother replied.

"All young woman, of every household are to be allowed to try the slipper," William replied. Getting up from his seat. I smiled down at him. Cinderella was finally going to get her happily ever after! The Herald began to make his way towards me across the room; in order to reach me he had to pass Lucinda and Jocasta. At the last moment Lucinda stuck her leg out in front of him and tripped him. The slipper when sprawling from his hands and landed on the floor. Shattering into thousands of pieces.

"Oh dear!" Lucinda cried in fake shock. She smiled a wry smile and looked over at me. She obviously thought she had ruined any chance I had at becoming William's bride.

"What have you done!" William cried running over to the broken shoe.

"Don't worry," I replied, "I'll just go fetch its pair!" With that all eyes turned to me. I smiled and made my way towards the kitchen. "That is if you would all be so kind as to wait here. That means all of you, including mother, I wouldn't want anything to happen to the other glass slipper. I would be very upset if both were to break." I made my way past the herald and into the cellar. There I retrieved both the slipper and my dress. When I walked back into the room. My stepmother was waiting by the door.

"You wicked girl," she shrieked as she lunged for the shoe and dress. I dodged her attack and made my way towards William.

"Now now Mother, there's no reason to be like that." I walked over to William and held up the dress, "If you would be so kind as to hold this as I put on my remaining slipper." He smiled at me and held out his hand. Once free of the dress I slipped off my sandal and put on the slipper. It fit like a glove.

"Cinderella," William sighed as he embraced me. "Do you know how long it look me to figure out what to do with your slipper? I couldn't sleep for two days! Then I had to travel throughout the entire kingdom just to find you!"

"I knew you would figure it out," I replied as I smiled up into his face. His luminous green eyes sparkled with laughter. The room seemed to fade into the background. We could no longer hear the wailing of Lucinda or the protests of unfairness from my "stepmother". It was just Prince William and I.

"You will marry me won't you? I don't know what I would do if you were to reject my proposal after I traversed the entire kingdom to find you!" William insisted.

"What would you do if I were to refuse you?" I joked.

"Kidnap you of course, then woo you into accepting," he replied.

"Although that does sound like a lot of fun," I teased, "I think I would rather skip that part and just accept your most generous offer." William laughed a clear, deep laugh and leaned down to kiss me. His lips touched mine in a moment of complete ecstasy and peace. Cinderella had finally found her Prince and now the fairy tale had run to completion. The world was in balance.

Just as I was beginning to enjoy the sensation of the Prince's lips against mine I felt a tug near my feet. The room began to spin around me as a hole opened up beneath my feet. I started to be sucked down into the black pit beneath me.

"Cinderella!" William cried as I was pulled out of his arm. I looked around in panic! What was happening! Then I realized I was going home. I heaved a sigh of relief. No more fairy tales and no more evil stepmothers; just me and my normal life, as a normal teenager. I was looking forward to my television and I certainly needed to update the status on my Facebook. But at the same time I was going to miss being Cinderella. I was especially going to miss William and his extremely sexy eyes (not to mention his amazing kisses).


	5. The Tall Tall Tower

The Tall Tall Tower

I started to regain consciousness after my trip through what could only be described as an inter-dimensional wormhole. My head throbbed; there was a constant pressure on the back of my head, kind of like I was sleeping on a rock instead of a pillow. I slowly opened my eyes, frown in place.

The room around me was well lit, sun streaming through large glass windows. It was a circular room, Lined with different pieces of furniture. I was sleeping on a large four-poster bed. Complete with a pale pink comforter and white sheets. There was a large bookshelf directly opposite the bed along with a fireplace and two matching pink armchairs. There was a door to the right of the bed. This wasn't my room either. I started to lift my head off the pillow only to feel like I was dragging a heavy weight.

"What the?" I began only to notice a long braid of golden hair trailing from my head onto the floor, "Not again!" I nearly screamed as I noticed a very neat, if not huge, coil of braid next to the bed. I bolted up right, pushed back the covers and ran to the nearest window. Sure enough I was in an enormous tower, surrounded by miles of forest. It had to be at least six stories tall made out of a pale gray stone. The trees reached about three-quarters the way up the tower and songs birds sat on nearly every branch, happily feeding their newly hatched chicks.

"This can't be happening!" I moaned as I sank into one of the pink arm chairs, "First Cinderella now Rapunzel! When will this horrifying dream end!" I spent the morning moaning in anguish and messing up the room. It turns out that the door to the right of the bed lead to a washroom, complete with a large bath. The books on the bookshelf were mostly hymnals and songbooks; a few others were sowing guides and "101 ways to clean almost anything". It was horrific, how was I supposed to escape this predicament.

After an hour or so of self-loathing I calmed myself down and started to think of a plan. "Alright," I said to myself, "What exactly is the story of Rapunzel?" It took me awhile to remember the details but soon I came up with the basic storyline:

Married, childless couple; wife gets pregnant and craves the Witch's rapunzel plants. The Witch finds out and demands the baby as payment for the parent's crimes. Then the witch locks Rapunzel in the tower until the prince comes and finds her. Then the Witch finds out Rapunzel has been seeing the prince and throws her out of the tower to fend for herself in the forest. Then the prince climbs up into the tower and confronts the witch; who throws him from the tower. The prince blinds himself falling on thorns and wonders aimlessly in the forest until he finds Rapunzel. Then his eyesight is magically restored and they live happily ever after.

'That's not so bad,' I thought, 'There isn't much I have to do. Wait wasn't there more to the story?' Then I remembered the reason the Witch found out about the Prince, Rapunzel and the prince had slept together and thus she got pregnant. 'Not good,' I thought. I wasn't about to sleep with some prince I had just met!

Before I had time to think about it I heard a crooning voice from the base of the tower, "Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair!"

Sure enough beneath one of the windows stood the Witch. It was hard to see her clearly from so high up but some of her features were very sharp and clear. She had frizzy white hair and a large pointed nose. She was deathly pale and very frail looking. She peered up and me with dark beady eyes and smiled a toothless grin. "Come now my dear, let down you hair," she cooed, beckoning me with a long bony finger.

I looked to the right of the window and sure enough there was an iron hook with which to let down my never-ending braid. I swung the braid around the hook and let it drop to the ground. The witch stepped back as the coil of braid flew down from the tower and landed in the dirt below. My hair was longer then the tower was tall.

The Witch grasped the braid and began to haul herself up the tower. The hook helped dull the force with which she pulled my hair but it still hurt like hell. After a good ten minutes of climbing the Witch finally reached the top of the tower and I helped to pull her in through the window.

"I'm getting much to old for that," she mused to herself as she placed a large basket on the table next to the window, "Hurry Rapunzel, pull your hair back up. I'll prepare dinner." As I hauled my heavy braid back up into the tower the Witch began to prepare a stew over the fireplace. It smelled delicious! She was using some type of meat with carrots and cabbage. It seemed that being Rapunzel wouldn't be as bad as being Cinderella, less chores. Although I was going to miss Rebecca and her scones.

The Witch finished cooking the stew and instructed me to set the table. After our silent meal the Witch went into the bathroom to fill the tub. "Come here my dear so that I can wash and comb your lovely hair."

"Yes Madame," I replied as I hesitantly made my way over to the bathroom.

"Tsk, tsk, haven't I told you countless times to call me Mother Gothel! Now come, sit beside the tub so I can wash your golden tresses." I sat outside of the tub as 'Mother Gothel' painstakingly undid the entire braid and washed and dried my hair. Then she took a small pair of golden scissors from her pocket and began to trim the very ends of my hair. When she was finished she took a large white comb and began to untangle all the knots and snares in my golden locks.

"Ouch!" I shouted as she combed a particularly large knot.

"Now now, I'm almost finished," She lied, only about a quarter through the enormous lengths. The comb looked very delicate but it held up well against the tough texture of my hair.

"What is that comb made of Mother Gothel?" I asked.

"Why, bone my dear," She replied clearly surprised by my sudden interest in the comb. Rapunzel was supposed to be a clueless airhead, unaware of her own surroundings. The fact that the comb was made of bone was a little disgusting. But who was I to complain, she was the one brushing and braiding my hair.

When she had finally finished with my hair the sun had set and the moon was almost at its apex. The Witch walked over to the window and asked me to let my hair back down. She instructed me to wind more of my hair around the hook so that when it fell my hair wouldn't land in the dirt but stop above the ground. Once Mother Gothel had safely reached the bottom of the tower I pulled the long braid back up and in through the window. I was now stuck in a new fairy tale, complete with new problems. Who would the Prince be this time? Was I already supposed to have met him? Could I be pregnant at this very moment? As far as I knew I was still a virgin and I was planning on keeping it that way. But I was dead tired. I made my way over to the bed and coiled my hair into a pile on the floor. My problems could wait till tomorrow; tonight I was going to sleep in an actual bed, not the cupboard under the stairs.


	6. The Stolen Scissors

The Stolen Scissors

I woke up as the sun came streaming in through the windows of the tower. It was a beautiful day, sun shining, birds chirping, wind whistling and wispy clouds ta-boot. I rolled off the bed, dragging my hair behind me. I went into the washroom and washed my face in the sink. My hair had held up surprisingly well through the night and there were only a few loose frizzy strands. I ran the bath and took a quick soak, careful not to get my hair wet. I walked back into the room wrapped in a towel and looked in the large hutch. There were more dresses stuffed inside then seemed possible. Most of them were pink or yellow, but I found a decent looking blue one and put it on. It was a sky blue with a high neckline with a skirt that started to spread out at the hips. It and three quarter length bell sleeves and a silver chain belt that sat on my hips. Over all it was dressy but functional.

I sat in the armchair browsing over a hymnal when a vulture came flying in through the window. He set a basket filled with food on the table next to the window he had entered from. Then he promptly turned around and flew away. As startled as I was my stomach shortened the time it took me to investigate the basket. Inside were various fruits and vegetables, from apples to mangos and cucumbers to cauliflower. To supplement my diet Mother Gothel had also included two small loaves of bread and a hard-boiled egg. There was also a note from Mother Gothel, it read:

_Rapunzel Dear, _

_Here is breakfast and lunch. I will be by later today to prepare dinner. _

_Mother Gothel_

I took one of the larger red apples and bit into it. The apple was one of the juiciest I had ever eaten. For breakfast I ate an apple, the hard-boiled egg, a bushel of cauliflower and a loaf of bread. I spent the morning peaking trough various drawers and exploring the view outside the tower. The desk drawers were filled with paper, pens, inkwells, and a few schoolbooks. Mother Gothel had at least made an attempt to teach Rapunzel. However the writing book was filled with grammatical errors and she hadn't passed addition in mathematics. The only things 'Rapunzel' could do well were read and sing. As for the view, it was forest as far as the eye could see. Even if I did escape the tower there was no guarantee I wouldn't die in the forest.

By mid-afternoon I had already explored every corner of the tower and was bored out of my mind. I had resorted to sitting in a windowsill, spouting tidbits of hymns and songs I knew from home.

I continued to sit, bored out of my mind and contemplated my fate. I decided it wasn't a good idea to wait around and be corned in the tower by the Prince. I mean once I let him climb up into the tower he wasn't leaving until I persuaded him to leave. And who knew what persuasion was necessary. So I decided that I needed to get myself out of the tower. Unfortunately my search of the tower made a couple things clear, there were no ropes to climb down with and nothing sharp to cut my hair with.

As I sat there, trying to figure out if my sheets would hold my weight and the weight of my hair Mother Gothel came waltzing out of the trees. I smiled down as the old woman struggled with her heavy basket filled with meat, vegetables and bread. I walked over to the window with the hook and let down my hair-rope. It wasn't long before she was in the tower making supper.

"What's for dinner Mother Gothel?" I asked, "Fried chicken?"

"No dearie, lamb stew. We'll have chicken tomorrow." She replied as she boiled the stew over the fire. After a wonderful meal and a few hymns Mother Gothel got out her hair supplies and ran a bath.

"Now dearie sit still, I'm almost finished!" Mother Gothel exclaimed as she combed the last few feet of my hair. It was then that I noticed the glint of the gold scissors in the candlelight.

'Perfect!' I thought as I sneakily stole the scissors and stowed them in my dress. I would use the scissors, although they were small, to cut my hair and climb down from the tower. It wasn't long until Mother Gothel had finished with my hair and had left for the evening.

I sat on my pink bed contemplating the best method for cutting my hair. I decided that I had better leave it in a braid and cut it off like a rope. I took the scissors and started to cut small sections of my hair across the thick braid. By the time I'd reached from one end of the braid to the other I realized something very strange had happened. Not only was the braid not separated from my head; there was a good four inches of unbraided hair where the separation should have been. The mystery of it all didn't really click in my mind until I tried to cut my hair again. Every section of hair I cut only stayed separated for about a second. Then not only did it fuse back together, but my hair grew longer! The gold scissors I stole from the Witch were enchanted. They didn't cut hair; they grew it! Being the sensible girl I am I couldn't believe my eyes. So I continued to cut random sections of my hair all along the braid. Not only did it ruin all the hard work Mother Gothel had done, my hair grew at least another six feet.

I lay back on the bed, exasperated, and threw the scissors across the room. My hair had pulled loose from the braid and lay around the room in a frizzy mess. I sat there almost in tears even though I knew it was useless. I finally gave up, heaved a large sigh and went to bed. When plans fail the only thing you can do is assess the problem again and find another solution. Well I knew the problem was that I needed to get out of the tower. But unfortunately the only remaining viable solution included facing Mother Gothel with unbraided hair and a potentially horny Prince. My prospects seemed grim.


	7. The Rescue from the Forest

Rescue from the Forest

_William smiled at me, his beautiful green eyes glowing in the darkness. He made his way towards me through the fog and stretched out his hands. I smiled knowingly, I was finally home. I reached out my hands to meet him and walked forward. But the closer I got to him the thicker the fog grew. It came in streams from all directions making it harder and harder to see. Eventually the only thing I could see was his glowing eyes. Then I blinked and they were gone._

_I ran forward in the darkness only to trip over my long braid of hair. Suddenly the fog cleared and I was falling out of the tower. Down, down, down getting closer and closer to the thorns around the base of the tower; the air was thick with anticipation as the ground came closer. I stretched out my arms to brace my fall. _

I woke up with a start. Hand clutching my chest, panting. It was the worst dream I'd had in a long time. I thought back through the dream and remembered the beginning, I had dreamed of William. Just thinking of him made my heart-ach. Why did I miss him so much? I wrote it off as missing the only person in this strange fairytale world that I knew. What about Rebecca? Well I missed her too of course. If I had dreamed about her I would have felt the same… wouldn't I?

I stopped thinking about it and dragged myself out of bed; still absently rubbing the sore spot in my chest. My hair was worse for the ware, sticking up in random places and knotted beyond belief. I walked into the bath room and washed my face in the washing bowl. When I got back into the room the breakfast/lunch basket was on the table filled with fruits, veggies, bread and even a little oatmeal.

I spent the first part of the morning slowly eating breakfast. I had to figure out how to boil the water over the fire to make the oatmeal. After that I sat around and read through a couple of books. I could now sew a quilt and get oil stains out of silk! It was a slow morning to say the least and it dragged on forever. Right after lunch I was so bored that I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

My life was a mess. I'd been sucked trough a portal into a fairytale land. Now I was living as what seemed to be all the damsels in distress tales from classic bedtime stories. Who was next or would I finally break the vicious cycle? As I sat there pondering the hours ticked by slowly. Eventually I ran out of questions and fell asleep. Only to wake with another near heart attack….

"RAPUNZEL!" Mother Gothel screamed, "Are you up there girl?"

I tore out of bed and ran to the window. "I'm so sorry Mother Gothel," I screamed back, "I fell asleep and didn't hear you calling."

"Now now my dear, that's alright now please lower down your hair." I winced and looked behind me at the tangled mess.

"Mother Gothel? It seems that I had a little incident with my hair," I said meekly.

"What's that my dear? What's wrong with your beautiful hair?"

"Well you see…" I said as I stalled in order to think of a good story, "You left your golden scissors here last evening… and I thought I could wash my own hair while you were out… I didn't know they were special scissors…"

"Ha-ha," Mother Gothel laughed, "Foolish girl, it's my greatest joy to care for your hair. Let your hair down, I'll asses the damages later." I slowly wound my hair around the hook and lowered it to the ground. I looked like an extremely old fraying rope. Mother Gothel sucked in a slow breath then let out a few chuckles. She grabbed onto the bottom of the hair and began to climb. I couldn't watch and it hurt more than normal.

"Dinner will have to wait," Mother Gothel said as she came into the room and set down her basket, "I'll fix this mess first." She led me into the bathroom and started filling the tub. "Where did you put the scissors?"

I went into the bed room and searched the floor until I found them underneath the dresser. I walked back into the bathroom and handed them to Mother Gothel. She put them into her pocket and had me get into the bath. It took her an hour just to unbraid my hair and wash it in the tub. It took another hour and a half for her to comb out the tangles and re-braid it. By the time she finished I was starving. It took her forty five minutes to make dinner. But it was the best thing I'd had in a long time, chicken and dumplings!

After dinner Mother Gothel told me not to mess with my hair and left. I sat on my bed completely stuffed and looked back at the ceiling and thought. It wasn't that life as Rapunzel was terrible it was just that I wanted to go home to my own life. I was tired of living another girl's life. One already completely determined; a life where I had no free will. I sighed and climb under the covers. I would sleep off the stress of it all and think of a way to escape tomorrow.

* * *

I woke the next morning when the light came through the windows and blinded me even though I had my eyes closed. I rolled out of bed and got started on the new morning routine. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, ate breakfast from the basket and picked out the outfit for the day. Today I decided to be a 'girly girl'. I chose a pale pink dress with a white underskirt. I even went as far as to wear a hoop skirt. I thought it would be a boring day so I decided to spice it up with a little makeover. I put on some perfume and used what little makeup was around. There was a charcoal gray eye-liner of sorts and a soft pink blush. I looked like a living doll when I was finished. After getting all 'dolled' up and I had nothing else to do so I settled down in a window sill and started to read.

"Now what's this?" A voice called from the base of the tower. At the edge of the forest was a man riding a horse. He was too far away to make out clearly. But he had dark hair and a dark blue tunic and brown pants. His horse was pure white. I jumped up and leaned out the window. Another chance to escape had finally arrived.

"I'm up here!" I yelled down to the man. He jumped in his saddle a little startled and looked up at me. He smiled and got off his horse. After tying it to a tree he walked a little closer to the tower.

"And what are you doing all the way up there fair maiden?" he asked, craning his neck to look at me.

"I was kidnapped and locked in this tower," I replied thinking quickly, "A kind old woman has been coming to take care of me but she is unable to get me down. Can you help me sir?" I'd lied about Mother Gothel because she'd been so nice to me; I didn't want him to think she was evil and try to harm her.

"A damsel in distress!" He exclaimed clutching his heart, "Surly I will do what I can."

"Do you have a sword?" I asked. A mischievous smile dawned upon his face.

"Aye, I do fair maiden. And what would you have me do with it?"

"Here!" I said, lowering my hair down the tower. He looked surprised as I wound the hair around the hook and lowered it to the floor. "Use my hair and climb up here."

"Don't you have stairs?" He asked, as he approached the length of hair.

"It's a bewitched tower. The only way up is to climb"

"Aye, then up I'll climb." He hoisted himself up and started to climb. It took him much longer to climb the tower and he was much heavier then Mother Gothel. By the time he reached the window my scalp was on fire. He almost lost his balance and fell out the window but he launched himself forward and fell on top of me instead.

"Ugh," I sighed as he landed on top of me.

"You look even more beautiful from this angle," He said seductively, smiling that mischievous smile of his. He was so close his face was the only thing I could see. He had dark brown eyes, almost black, and dark brown hair to match. He had a perfectly straight nose and sparkling white teeth. His face reeked of masculinity. He had a sharp chin and dark bushy eyebrows.

"Could you get off me?" I whined. He slowly pulled himself off of me and stood above me. He didn't offer a hand until I started to struggle around the hoop skirt. After I was up off the floor I walked to the window and started to pull my hair back up.

"That's quite a lot of lovely locks my dear."

"Part of the predicament," I sighed as I walked away from the window and went to sit at the end of the bed. He turned to face me and raised on eyebrow quizzically. "I was kidnapped and had my hair elongated by a pair of magical scissors. I would escape myself but there's no way down. And I have nothing but my hair to use as rope. But there's nothing to cut it with. That's where you come in."

"Really? And how is that my dear?" He said, walking around one of the pink arm chairs.

"I need your sword" I said as I spread my hands. He smiled at me and slowly walked forward. He put his hands on his belt buckle and started to undo the buckle.

"I'll gladly give you my sward," He said as he loosed the buckle and started to pull it through his belt loops. He walked closer to me and I jumped off the bed.

"What are you doing?" I stammered as I moved to the other side of the bed, creating distance. I guess the stories about the Prince were true. He was only trying to sleep with me.

"I'm giving you my sword," he said as he chased me around the bed.

"Wait STOP. I meant a real sword, to cut my hair." He just smiled and kept coming towards me. "I said STOP. I'm NOT going to sleep with you." I screamed at him at the top of my longs. That made him freeze. He looked confused.

"No one has ever refused me before," He said as he sat on one of the arms of the pink chairs.

"Well I am. I'm sorry but I have more standards than that. I just met you; I'm not going to sleep with someone without even knowing them."

"Most women throw themselves at me. You do know I'm a Prince correct?" He really looked puzzled. Like a small child scolded for the first time.

"Yes I know you're a Prince. But Prince or not I'm not going to sleep with you. Look, are you still willing to help me or not."

"Aye," He said looking sad a dejected, "What is it that you need?"

"Your sword, your REAL sword."

"I don't have it," He said looking me straight in the eye. He looked confused and genuinely sorry. "I came into the woods with a hunting party. I got separated but they have my hunting knives and sword. All I have is my bow." I sighed and sat back down on the bed. It was getting late in the afternoon. Mother Gothel would be there soon.

"Can you find this tower again? Can you bring your sword tomorrow?"

"Aye," He said, eyes glowing, "I'll bring it tomorrow." He stood up with a new purpose and walked back to the windows, fixing his belt as he went.

"Thank you," I said, "But you need to leave now. The woman who cares for me will be here soon."

"Tomorrow," he said.

"Tomorrow," I replied. I walked back to the window and wound my hair around the hook. He had a hard time climbing down but he finally made it to the bottom. I watched him ride away on his white horse and had a sinking feeling in my chest. Would he be back tomorrow? Would he remember how to find the tower? Would I ever get out of this crazy fairy tale existence? I sat back on the bed and waited for Mother Gothel.


	8. The Stream of Tears

A Stream of Tears

It wasn't long after the prince left that Mother Gothel arrived at the tower. I lowered my hair down and watched as she climbed. Once safely inside she started to make dinner. It seemed to be some sort of fish which she breaded and cooked over the fire. I sat in one of the arm chairs and watched her. She obviously loved Rapunzel. She had given her a home and came to eat dinner with her every night. She'd also tried to teach Rapunzel and was keeping her in this tower for some reason she obviously believed in. I wondered if she would be sad if I ran away or if the real Rapunzel would ever return.

"Mother Gothel?" I asked.

"Yes dear," she replied as she prepared a salad.

"Why must I stay locked in this tower?"

"The world is a terrible place my dear," Mother Gothel replied, turning from the fire to face me, "It's full of famine, disease, lies and murderers. You're much safer in this tower where I can be sure nothing bad will happen to you. Now enough of this nonsense! Set the table, dinner's almost ready." I let the conversation drop and did as she asked. Obviously she believed she was doing what was best for Rapunzel.

After dinner Mother Gothel washed and braided my hair and climbed down from the tower as usual. After she'd left I cleaned and got ready for bed. I lay in bed wondering if the Prince would return or if I was doing the right thing. I decided that while Mother Gothel might be doing what was right for Rapunzel, I was not content to stay in the tower. I wanted to return home and live life as I saw fit. Regardless of the dangers I might encounter. I stayed in bed staring at the ceiling for hours. I couldn't fall asleep. I felt so guilty leaving Mother Gothel alone. I got out of bed and walked over to the desk. I sat down and wrote Mother Gothel a note. It explained that I had been switched with Rapunzel and that I needed to get home to my own family. I thanked her for her hospitality and assured her that the real Rapunzel would return, even if I didn't know that for certain. Then I returned to bed. Only to toss and turn the whole night, hardly getting any sleep.

When the sun rose I was still tossing restlessly in bed. I got up and finished my morning routine for what I hoped would be the last time. I chose a simple white dress because I was going to be climbing down the tower sometime today. I wasted most of the morning pacing back and forth across the tower gazing from window to window. It was early afternoon and I'd almost given up hope when the prince came riding through the trees on his white horse.

"I thought you'd never come!" I screamed from the tower as he tied his horse to a tree.

"I would never break a promise," He replied as he walked towards the tower.

"Do you have your sword?" I asked. He pulled it from its sheath and held it in the air. It glinted in the sunlight. I let out a sigh of relief and let my hair down the tower. It took him a long time to climb up into the tower and the added weight of the sword was almost too much to handle. Once he was finally at the top and into the tower I ran and hugged him.

"Thank you!," I exclaimed, "Thank you for saving me!"

"I'm just doing my duty," He replied and he stepped back from my embrace, "I hope this makes up for my hideous behavior yesterday. You do forgive me right?"

"Of course!" I said, "Now cut my hair, at the shoulders." I walked over to the table and laid the braid across it. He unsheathed his sword and raised it high above his head. In one heavy blow he severed the hair from my head. Immediately my head felt lighter; so much so that it took me awhile to get my balance.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, as I stumbled over to a chair and sat down.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he rushed over to my side.

"I'm fine, just a little light headed, literally. That braid was very heavy I'm not used to my head being this light. Now if you don't mind, bind the end of the hair you just cut before it unravels and tie it tightly to the rung outside the tower. We have to leave quickly." It was almost time for Mother Gothel to arrive with dinner. The Prince did as I asked and readied for our escape.

"You should climb down first so I can make sure the rope, ah I mean hair, is secured," He said when I finally rose from the chair.

"Alright," I replied. I made my way to the window and looked down. The tower was very, very tall. Before I got any more vertigo I grasped the end of the rope and climbed from the window. The prince helped steady me as I made my first few steps down the tower. Down I went one step after another for what seemed like hours.

"You're almost to the bottom," The Prince shouted from the top of the tower. I kept my eyes fixed on the wall in front of me and refused to look down. It wasn't long before my heel scarped dirt instead of wall. I had made it to the bottom. I carefully climbed out from the thorn bushes at the base of the tower and walked into the clearing. I looked around me at the tall trees and then up the tower. There as the Prince, six stories up, stuck in Rapunzel's tower.

"You're turn!" I shouted to him. He carefully made sure the hair-rope was secure and let himself out of the tower and began to scale the wall. He was going much faster than me but it was still going to take him a long time to reach the bottom.

"What's going on?" I heard from behind me, "Rapunzel what are you doing out of the tower? What happened to you hair!" It was Mother Gothel. She had just walked out of the forest into the clearing with her basket.

"Mother Gothel, I can explain," I began. She gave me a very nasty look and then turned to the tower where the Prince was still climbing down.

"You!" She screamed, "You've corrupted my Rapunzel!" She let out a tremendous scream and threw up her hands and pointed at the Prince. From her hands shot two lightening blots that severed the hair-rope right above the Prince. He gave a yell and fell down the tower. He had only made it about half way down the tower so he fell in a heap into the thorn bushes at the base of the tower.

"Mother Gothel! What have you done?" I screamed and ran towards the prince.

"You ungrateful little wench!" Mother Gothel hissed at me, "I give you everything you ever needed and you go and let a MAN into the tower. You make me sick!" She said 'man' like it tasted rotten.

"You don't understand," I tried to explain but she cut me off.

"I will have none of your excuses. You're on your own now; I will have nothing more to do with you." As soon as she'd finished her sentence she turned on her heels and stalked into the forest. When she reached the tree line she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I sank to the ground and my skirt piled around me. For all I knew the Prince was dead and I was alone in a huge forest with no hope of survival. I wanted to cry but I was in such shock that not a single tear would slide down my face.

"What's going on here?" A voice asked from the edge of the forest. Bright green eyes stared at me from the edge of the forest. He sat on a dark brown horse and looked so handsome in his dark brown riding pants and forest green tunic. Not only was my life in shambles but my mind was playing tricks on me as well. I thought William was there to rescue me.

"It's not fair," I wined and sank lower to the ground.

"What's not fair?" William asked me as he got off his horse and made his way over to me. He sank down to a crouch in front of me and looked me in the eye.

"I'm lost in a forest and now I'm going crazy. You couldn't possibly be real."

"Oh I'm not real am I?" William asked, joking smile on his face. He cupped my chin in his hand and forced me to look in his eyes. "It's truly me Cinderella. Do you like making me search the whole known world to find you? This is the second time you've run away on me." I smiled up at him and collapsed into his arms, tears streaming down my face. I was safe once again, my Prince had arrived.

"Why are you crying my dear? What's wrong?" William asked as he wiped the tears from my face. But it was no use, they just kept falling.

"Nothing's wrong, everything is just perfect," I said as I hugged him again. Just then there was a moan from the base of the tower.

"Rapunzel," The fallen prince moaned as he began to crawl his way out of the throne bushes.

"Who's there?" William asked. He pushed me behind him and unsheathed his sword.

"Stop, STOP!" I yelled and pushed my way between William and the Prince. "He's not going to attack, he's hurt." I walked over to the Price and knelled down. He turned his bloody face to me and looked at me with vacant eyes.

"I can't see," He wailed covering his face with his hands. Just then I remembered the end to Rapunzel. After being thrown from the tower the Prince wander blind in the forest until he found Rapunzel. Their happy reunion brought tears to Rapunzel's eyes which gave the Prince back his sight.

"Uncover you eyes," I instructed, tears still streaming down my face. The Prince did as I asked. I carefully gathered the tears from my face and smeared them on his eyes. He blinked several times and opened his eyes wide.

"I can see again!" He exclaimed! He rushed forward and held me in a tight embrace. William didn't waste any time and soon had us separated. He held me possessively to his chest and turned to face the Prince.

"Prince Philip, I'll ask you to please refrain from touching my Fiancée," William demanded.

"Prince William? What brings you to my country," Prince Philip asked, "and the maiden of the tower is your FIANCÉE?"

"That she is," William said and turned to look at me, "He hasn't done anything ungentlemanly to you has he? He has quite the reputation with the ladies."

I smiled at William and shook my head. "Not at all, He was the one who helped me escape from the tower."

"Very well then, thank you Philip but we really should be getting back to our home country Cinderella. Will you be alright on your own Philip?" William asked.

"Cinderella? Isn't her name Rapunzel?" Philip asked slowly standing.

"I have many names," I replied, "But I guess it would be best if you both called me Ella. Philip can you make it home safely on your own?"

"Yes I'll be fine, whatever you did cured me."

"Alright then, Ella we best get going, it's a long ride back to the castle." William said as he led me to his horse. He lifted me up into the saddle. I was forced to sit side saddle because the skirt prevented me from sitting any other way. William swung himself up behind me and turned his horse towards the woods.

"Wait!" Philip called after us. He jumped up onto his horse and rode up beside William. "When will I see you again?" He asked me.

"At the wedding of course!" I replied smiling at Philip and then up at William.

"Until then," William said to Philip and rode off into the forest. Philip nodded and took off in the opposite direction. All seemed right again in the world. That was of course, except for the fact that I was still trapped in fairy tale land. But if I had to be trapped I might as well be trapped with William. Seeing him again made me realize just how much I really did love him.

"Now Cinder-, err Ella, what happened?" William asked as we rode on in the woods. I chuckled and told him my story. I explained that after we had kissed I was sucked into a vortex and woke up in the tower as 'Rapunzel' the girl with very long hair. I went on to explain Mother Gothel and how Philip had saved me but gotten hurt in the process. After I finished telling my story William chuckled and stopped his horse.

"Perhaps I should refrain from kissing you for awhile then. Just so you don't get sucked into any more vortexes," I pouted up at him and he out right laughed. His loud deep laugh that made my heart melt. "You can't do that or I will be forced to kiss you. And I'd like to be with you a bit longer before you disappear on me again. It takes a lot out of a man, always chasing after the woman he loves."

I smiled at him when he said that and it took a lot to stop me from kissing him. We continued on the rest of the way chatting about different things. He told me that my stepmother had tried to get him to marry one of my stepsisters when I disappeared and that his parents were not too happy when he left in search of me. He told me of all the people he met on his travels. It seems I'd been missing for a month before he'd finally found me. He'd heard from one a Philip's servants that the Prince had left to save a mysterious girl trapped in a tower. William had raced off to find the tower and there I was. I couldn't help but feel special. My prince had traipsed across the country side a second time just to find me and bring me home.

We stopped after a while to rest by a stream. William went in search of some food while I sat with the horse. I brushed the horse while it ate its fill of grass and then I went to sit by the stream. I took a drink of cool water and sat in the sun to rest. I looked at my reflection in the water and smiled as I heard William come back into the clearing.

"I'm sorry it took so long my dear, there is hardly any game in this forest, and what game I saw had young to care for. If my father's huntsman taught me anything it's not to shot game with young, otherwise the young will never make it to be sizeable game."

I smiled and stood up. My foot slipped on a wet rock and I fell backwards into the stream; soaking my white dress. William chuckled at me and began to move forward to help me from the stream. Just then the water started to surge around me. I felt myself sinking into the mud as the water swirled around me. "William!" I yelled.

William ran forward in an attempt to save me from the stream. But it was too late. I sank down through the stream and into yet another vortex. It seemed fate would not allow me and William to be together. Perhaps I was finally going home, but I doubted it. I started to cry and let myself slip into an unhappy unconsciousness. I wondered where I would end up this time.


	9. The Interesting Birthday

The Interesting Birthday

Wherever 'here' was it was wet, very very wet. I rolled over in my sleep. It was then I realized something was wrong, very very wrong. I open my eyes slowly not knowing what to expect. First I checked my arms, bare but intact. Then my torso; also bare but covered by my long hair. I was alarmed by the fact that my hair was still long only to notice that it stopped at my waist. After noticing that I found the real problem, where my legs had been, now was one large green fish tail. I opened my mouth to scream only to have it fill with sea water. I panicked.

As the water raced down my throat into what had previously been my lungs I struggled to find air. I swam up as fast as I could only to find myself enclosed by a roof. I looked around the chamber and realized I was in a circular room carved out of rock with several wide windows that were not sealed. I half flailed half swam out the nearest one and moved towards what I thought was the surface. The whole while holding my mouth desperately shut. After several hundred feet of climbing I reached the surface and broke through gasping for air. Only to realize that as it went down my throat it burned. Burned as badly as water did when I was human. I quickly dove back under the surface and gulped water. It seemed to me like I was stuck in a new fairy tale, The Little Mermaid. Now the question was what to do next.

* * *

I peeked my head above the surface again, this time I made sure not to 'breath'. I was in the middle of the ocean, nothing in any direction. I swam back down into the water and looked around. A few fish swam at the surface but for the most part it was blue water as far as the eye could see. A few hundred feet beneath me I saw the top of the stone castle, where I had woken up. I swam back down; breathing water as I would air. As I reached the castle I noticed that it was actually very large. With several tall towers and large windows facing all directions it wasn't long until I reached the first complete floor of the castle and looked inside the open window.

It was another bedroom, filled with what appeared to be some sort of bed and a stone vanity. The walls were covered with different outcrops of coral; obviously serving as underwater art. There was another large "window" on the other side of the room which seemed to open into an inner chamber. From inside I heard the soft humming and movements. Sound traveled much farther in water so even the small scraping noises I heard from inside were discernable. Up until this moment I hadn't tried to use my voice, I wasn't even sure if my vocal cords were intact. I took a 'breath' of sea water and prepared myself.

"Hello?" I bellowed through the room. Apparently normal above surface volume carried much louder underwater with my new 'lungs'. The voice in the inner chamber stopped humming and there was a small crashing noise. I had apparently startled whoever was inside. From the inner window a beautiful mermaid swam towards me. Her hair was a beautiful blonde color and her eyes were a vibrant blue. Her hair was braided into two long braids down the front of her body and it was clear she wasn't wearing anything underneath it. Her tail was a deep shining green and she had seven oysters attached to the end of it.

"Ariel! Why did you yell?" The mermaid giggled at me as she swam towards me, "Happy birthday little sister!" She smiled at me as she reached the windows then she pulled me through into the main chamber and led me to the seat in front of the vanity. "I was certain you would go to Athena to prepare for the day. You don't know how happy I am that you came to me." She began to fuss with my hair and pulled it all into her hands. I quickly covered my chest and backed away from her.

"Um, do you have a shirt or something?" I asked, she may have been my 'sister' but I wasn't comfortable being naked around her. It seemed to me that I was the youngest daughter the one who has to fall in love with the prince and trade her voice for a set of legs. Luckily I wouldn't be totally helpless without my voice. If the prince wrote and read in English I could communicate just fine. But I'd have to cross that bridge when I got to it. The mermaid giggled and swam to her closet, inside was mostly jewelry made of different coral pieces, sea glass and some precious jewels. She pulled out a bra like object made of white shells and swam back to me.

"You always were a modest one, I hope it fits." Once I had it on she continued to tinker with my hair. She braided it and as she did she added jewels and coral and even luminescent sea weed. By the time she was done my hair as twice as heavy but utterly beautiful. "I won't hog you," The mermaid said, "Go to Sarina so she can do your makeup." The mermaid began to swim back into the inner room.  
"Wait!" I said, "Would you come with me? I'm um, afraid she'll mess with my hair and you've made it so beautiful." I had no idea where this 'Sarina' was, I needed a tour guide.  
"She would wouldn't she? Very well let's go!" The mermaid swam out the nearest window and down several floors. I followed quickly behind her as not to get lost. She was a much faster swimmer and I was afraid I would lose her. She giggled as she swam looking behind her to make sure I could keep up. She darted quickly into a window and I followed close behind. When I looked into the room she was floating/laying on the bed and giggling. Sarina was sitting at her vanity brushing out her long brown hair. She was turned looking at me and a smile spread across her face. Her eyes were a deep brown and here tail was more of an aqua then a true deep green.  
"Ariel your hair is marvelous. Katrina you've really outdone yourself." Sarina said as she put down her brush and swam to me. She held my hands in hers and just smiled. After a few seconds she led me to her vanity and began to fuss in the draws.  
"Of course I did. She's the last of us to turn sixteen. Father is sure to be beside himself with worry when she goes to the surface. Maybe her beauty will distract him for a moment. Give him a moment of peace," Katrina giggled from the bed. She seemed to be one for giggling. While Katrina lounged on the bed Sarina went right to work applying all different types of creams and makeup to my face. First she smeared a brown paste all over my face only to wipe it off again with a soft sea-sponge. Next came a white moisturizer made of who knows what. Then she crushed different color corals in several different bowls and mixed them with a clear jelly. For my eyes she used a bright blue coral with a green outline to follow. Then she outlined my eyes with a dark black coral and dusted a gold luminescent coral on top of it all. For my lips she used a deep red coral paste and a lighter pink powder on my cheeks. When she was finished I looked even better than I did as Cinderella, although I would never tell that to Rebecca; if I ever saw her again. I sighed when I thought about William and Rebecca, would I ever see them again? Would I be suck moving from one fairy tale to another forever?  
"What's wrong sister?" Asked Sarina as she finished touching up my face. She looked at me with wise eyes and it was then I realized that she must have been the oldest sister. The oldest of twelve if I remembered my little mermaid stories correctly. The twelve daughters of the King of the sea lived in a stone palace in the deepest part of the ocean. In some versions the daughters were only allowed to visit the surface after their sixteenth birthdays. It seemed I was in one of those versions. I seemed to be the youngest daughter and it was my sixteenth birthday, the day I would rise to the surface and fall in love with the prince. After which I would go to the sea witch and trade my fish tale and voice for a pair of legs. Then I would have to get the Prince to fall in love with me. The question was should I even bother? What was the point of going from one fairy tale to the next, never getting to live in the "happily ever after"?

I turned to Sarina and said "It just doesn't seem like a very happy birthday."

"Nonsense, you've been waiting so long for a chance to see the surface. You'll get to see the moon and the sun rise and the land and the people. It will be a glorious day." Just then there was a giggle fit behind us. We turned and found Katrina on the bed playing with a school of brightly colored fish.  
"They say our sister's are ready for us," Katrina said as she pet the little fish, "Well let's get going. Ariel take off those shells it does not match the splendor of your hair and makeup."

"I have to wear something!" I explained as I rose from the vanity.  
"Here," Said Sarina as she went to her closet and fetched another 'bra'. Hers were made of deep purple shells lined with gold, "This is fit for the occasion." Once I was dressed and ready we all swam out of the room and down to the sea floor. Then we entered a grand chamber complete with my ten missing sister, one old woman and the King, my father. My sisters each had a different color of hair, from nearly white blonde to a deep black. Some were different shades of red. All their tails were different shades of green. My "father" had a long white beard and a thick head of white hair. His tail was a deep forest green and his eyes were nearly black. On his head was a gold crown and in his right hand was a golden scepter.

When I entered the chamber my sisters all swam around me and told me how beautiful I was. They complemented Sarina and Katrina on their handiwork and swam with me to the old woman. She smiled up at me with kind blue eyes. She had long gray hair to her waist and twelve oysters attached to her tail. From the table next to here she took seven oysters and held them up to me.

"These oysters my dear, are a gift to show your status as a Princess of the sea to all that see them. It is my honor as your Grandmother to give them to you." After she said this she attached them to my tail. They hurt and made my tail heavy. This made it much harder to swim. But I kept them on because they seemed to be a tradition. Each of my "sisters" had seven of their own oysters. Next my sisters swam with me to my father.  
"My dear Ariel, It seems like only yesterday when your mother and I held you in our arms for the first time. After your mothers passing so many years ago your laughter was one of the only things that could bring a smile to my face. As it is your sixteenth birthday I bestow to you this crown," My father said as he placed a small gold tiara on my head, "As is tradition you now have the right to swim to the surface to see all that there is to see. I will ask you to be careful on your journey and return after the sun rises tomorrow so that I know you are safe." With that he kissed me on the forehead and left with my Grandmother. My sisters surrounded me giggling and gave me advice.  
"Be sure to watch the sunrise," A blonde said.  
"Swim up the river and see the mountains!" Giggled a red head.  
"Beware of fisherman!" Sarina warned.  
"Bring me a souvenir!" Katrina giggled as she swam around with one of my other sisters. The rest shouted advice at me all at once so that I couldn't discern much else. When they were finished they swam me out the main entrance and up about half way to the surface. Then they each took a turn wishing me happy birthday and kissing me on the cheek. Then they swam back down into the castle and left me to explore the surface myself.


	10. The Big Boat on Stormy Water

The Big Boat on Stormy Water

I looked around the ocean. Schools of fish swam around me as if I was an ordinary occurrence. A shark floated by in the distance total unconcerned about my presence. I however was over whelmed. Not only was I still stuck in a fairy tale now I wasn't even human. I stretched my arms wide and turned in a circle feeling the water pressure against my skin and scales. I took a deep breath of water and pumped my tail propelling myself to the surface. As I broke from the water the sun had just hit the horizon. It was a large orange orb sinking into the deep blue expanse of water. To the suns right was a small bump on the opposite horizon that appeared to be a mountain. If I was Ariel I needed to swim and meet my prince as soon as possible. I ducked back under water and pointed myself just under the surface in the direction of the mountain. Then I pumped my tail in strong swift strokes.

Before I knew it I was flying through the water as fast as any speed boat. It wasn't long till I meet a school of dolphins. They seemed to think I was playing some sort games. They swam around me jumping above the surface and landing in the water making waves. As they did acrobatics around me I couldn't help but smile. I took a gulp of water and launched myself above the surface. For the few seconds I was airborne I took in my surroundings the sun had sunk until it was just barely visible along the horizon and the mountain was growing taller in front of me. The deep blue sky was alight with hundreds of stars and the water shimmered in the twilight. Right before I landed in the water I saw the boat off to my left. Then I landed with a large splash back in the middle of the dolphins.  
"Sorry friends I can't play anymore. I'm off to investigate that ship." I said to the dolphins. They stopped their acrobatics and took off racing to the ship. "Wait!" I screamed after them as raced to catch up. The bottom of the boat came into view quickly. It was very big. Not aircraft carrier big but as wooden boats go this one must have been on the large side. I peeked above surface to get a better look. Sure enough the boat towered above me about two stories tall.

A cold wind blew some of my hair loose from its braids. I looked and saw storm clouds growing quickly on the horizon. I swam around the boat until I found its lowest point. It was an open deck with a decorative landing. It was still too high for me to see the people on the boat. I heard talking but I couldn't make out the words. I dipped my head underwater to take another breath of water. Then I made a decision, I dove down deep into the ocean and turned back up to the surface. I pumped as hard and fast as possible and shot myself out of the water. I sailed easily through the air and grabbed the railing. I pulled myself up until I could peak onto the ship.

"Prince Eric, the storm is growing we should head back to port." An older gentleman said to a younger looking man with dark black hair. "Prince Eric" laughed and turned out to look over the ocean.

"A little storm on my birthday won't hurt anyone. We sail onwards." Prince Eric remarked his dark eyes twinkling in anticipation.

"Prince William is due to arrive at the castle in a few days. If we get blown off course by this storm we may not make it back for his arrival." The gentlemen pleaded. Prince Eric laughed again.

"Prince William has lost his Fiancé again? What's this the third time? He needs to keep better tabs on his woman. You'd think after she ran away a second time he'd get the hint. She probably has a lover somewhere she's hiding with." Eric replied as he inspected his finger nails.

"William," I whispered. My Prince was out looking for me again and he would be close by. Now I had a reason to get legs. I was about to dive back into the ocean, almost out of breath when Eric looked down at me and lightening broke on the horizon.

"Who are you?" He exclaimed and looked over the rail. I quickly dropped down into the water. I resurfaced a few yards back in the shadow of the boat. I was determined to follow it back to port and then head straight for the sea witch. Where ever she was. But I seemed to have bigger problems.

"I saw it! A mermaid! Quick man the nets. We must catch her alive!" Prince Eric screamed to his crew as he scanned the ocean for me. Just then lightening hit the water not far from the ship. I felt the electricity go through my tail and make my hair frizz. "There she is!" Eric screamed, pointing right at me. I didn't waste a moment and dove back under the water and swam deep down into the water till I could just see the bottom of the boat. Lightening continued to light up the night way above me and I saw the men throw nets into the water. They were not deep enough to catch me. The Dolphins had swum away at the first lightening strike.  
The storm began to pick up momentum and the water grew cold. The waves grew at the surface and I could feel the water around me begin to churn. It wasn't long until the rain started and lightening struck the boat. I could see the fire start at the lookout point on the tallest pillar and spread through the sails. The sailors hadn't prepared for the storm they had been too busy trying to catch me. It wasn't long until I saw the nets were abandoned in the water as the sailors tried to save themselves and their boat.

I swam back up to the surface careful not to get caught in the nets. Lightening struck again and the whole boat seemed to be on fire. The men began to throw themselves off the side of the ship in a last ditch effort to stay alive. It wasn't long till I saw Prince Eric stand on the side and look out over the water. He was just about to jump off when barrels on the boat exploded and sent him flying into the water. He landed in the midst of the nets. I dove back under the water and saw him and some of the other men try to untangle themselves from the nets. Some were bleeding into the water and the sharks were starting to follow the blood trail.

Prince Eric was struggle less and less as he lost consciousness. Blood seemed to be flowing out of a wound from this head. I quickly swam over and tried to untangle him. I used one of the oysters from my tail to cut him loose from the net. I thought he would swim to the surface but he went limp and started to sink. I quickly grabbed him under the arms and swam to the surface. He coughed up water but remained relatively lifeless. The boat was sinking beneath the surface of the water and creating a pulling force. I swam with the Prince away from the boat in order to prevent us from being pulled under. It wasn't long until the entire boat was underwater and there were only a few sailors left floating on wreckage at the surface.  
I held Prince Eric above the surface and looked underwater. "Anyone out there?" I called into the water; just then three dolphins came swimming towards me from a distance. I knew dolphins were supposed to be smart but I was surprised to see them anyway. When they were close enough I asked them if they knew where Prince Eric's castle was. They nodded and started to swim towards the mountain I had been heading towards earlier. I resurfaced and pulled Prince Eric along after the dolphins. I ducked my head under water every once and awhile to take a breath of water.

It wasn't long until I was completely tired out. Even though Prince Eric was lighter to me in the water then he would have been on land it was still very trying to drag him along after the dolphins. After about a half hour of swimming I noticed that the shore was getting very close and that the water was getting shallower. I could see a castle built into the rock cliff in the distance.

"Is that his castle?" I asked the dolphins when I dove underwater to take another breath. They nodded their heads and made laughing sounds that I took to be a yes. I swam with renewed vigor as the shore got closer. After awhile my tail began to drag on the sand. I did the best I could and dragged the Prince all the way onto shore and out of the waves.

"Eric," I croaked trying to talk out of the water. I cleared my throat and tried to talk without sucking in air. "Eric wakeup you're on dry land." My voice sounded like it did when I talked underwater as a human. It had an eerie lyrical quality to it. Prince Eric began to stir and I wasn't able to hold my breath any longer. I pulled myself back down into the water and hid myself from Prince Eric. I'd learned from my previous experience and knew that Prince Eric wanted a Mermaid as a trophy so I thought it unwise to reveal myself at this time. Eric pulled himself up and his elbows and winced. He put his hand on the back of his head and when he looked at it again it was covered in blood. He pulled himself to his feet and began to walk towards the castle.

I followed him in the water until I saw some guards from the castle run down to meet him. As soon as I was sure he was safe I dove back under the waves and swam to the dolphins.

"Take me to the sea witch," I said. They looked at each other then at me. I gave them a quick nod and they turned in the water and started to race off into the distance. I followed close behind them. William would be coming soon and I needed to be human in order to meet him.


End file.
